Ormond's flouride debate

Published: Sunday, July 22, 2012 at 5:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at 3:14 p.m.

I was very happy to see Ormond Beach City Commissioner Troy Kent question the use of fluoride and other chemicals in the city's water.

Suffice it to say there is a lot of controversy around the safety of fluoride. Anyone can do their own research to cement their own beliefs about it, on either side of the issue.

Where there is no controversy, however, is that those who do not want it are being forced to consume it through our water system -- drinking it, showering in it (you absorb a lot of the chemicals in the water in a hot shower), or cooking with it. It would seem in our "free" country, those that want it can go out and get it in their toothpaste, mouthwash and supplements, and those that don't want it shouldn't have to consume it against their will.

I do not wish to have anyone making health choices for me, except myself and those that I deem educated in good health (and that does not include corporations who have their bottom line as their main concern).

Also, in this time of budgetary concerns, why not save the city and its taxpayers the $630,000 figure noted in the article on July 14 as the cost of fluoridation? It seems a tremendous expense for something that is questionable at best and very dangerous to one's well-being at worst.

<p><p>I was very happy to see Ormond Beach City Commissioner Troy Kent question the use of fluoride and other chemicals in the city's water. </p></p><p><p>Suffice it to say there is a lot of controversy around the safety of fluoride. Anyone can do their own research to cement their own beliefs about it, on either side of the issue. </p></p><p><p>Where there is no controversy, however, is that those who do not want it are being forced to consume it through our water system -- drinking it, showering in it (you absorb a lot of the chemicals in the water in a hot shower), or cooking with it. It would seem in our "free" country, those that want it can go out and get it in their toothpaste, mouthwash and supplements, and those that don't want it shouldn't have to consume it against their will. </p></p><p><p>I do not wish to have anyone making health choices for me, except myself and those that I deem educated in good health (and that does not include corporations who have their bottom line as their main concern). </p></p><p><p>Also, in this time of budgetary concerns, why not save the city and its taxpayers the $630,000 figure noted in the article on July 14 as the cost of fluoridation? It seems a tremendous expense for something that is questionable at best and very dangerous to one's well-being at worst.</p> </p><p>-----</p>